Quizzes — Using the Question Library
Quick Start Guide
The Question Library is a central repository that stores and archives questions which you can reuse within a course. You can use sections (or folders) to create multiple collections within the Question Library to organize your questions by type and topic, making it easier for you to find questions for your quizzes, surveys, and self assessments.
In this guide, you will find information on
- Benefits of Using the Question Library: Understand the advantages of organizing and reusing questions.
- Accessing the Question Library: Learn how to navigate to the Question Library in Brightspace.
- Creating Sections: Steps to add sections and subsections for better question organization.
- Creating New Questions: Instructions on how to create various types of questions.
- Importing Questions from an Existing Quiz: How to transfer questions from a quiz to the Question Library.
- Importing Questions from Another Course’s Question Library: Guide on using Import/Export/Copy Components.
- Setting Up a Quiz: How to import questions from the Question Library into a quiz.
Benefits of using the Question Library
Getting Started
While the logical starting place for developing a quiz in Brightspace is through the New Quiz function, we recommend starting the process by creating and organizing questions in the Question Library. Why? Quiz questions stored in the Question Library can be re-used in multiple quizzes.
Best practice: We recommend the following steps to creating a quiz in Brightspace.
Step 1: Add sections and subsections to a course’s Question Library to organize questions.
Step 2: Create or import questions in the sections and subsections.
Step 3: Import questions into a quiz from the Question Library.
Accessing the Question Library
To access the Question Library, click Assessments > Quizzes, then click on the Question Library tab.
Step 1: Add Sections and Subsections
Think of a section as a folder. Use sections to organize questions. The collection of questions within sections allows you to efficiently reuse quiz questions in one course and helps save time when copying them over to other course offerings. Additionaly, Sections can be used to shuffle a specific set of questions.
To create a section:
In the Question Library, click New > Section
Type a meaningful Section Title > Save
Tip: Enter Section text if you want to add instructions, a description, and/or information relating to the section.
Once you have created a section in your Question Library, you can create a subsection to further organize your quiz questions.
To create a subsection:
Click the section in which you want to create a subsection.
Sections are identified with a folder icon
Click New > Section
Enter a meaningful Section Title > Save
Watch the following video to learn how to create a new section and move unorganized questions from the library into a section.
Step 2: Create and Import Questions
There are multiple question types that can be added to your Question Library, including multiple choice, true or false, short answer, and fill in the blanks. You can create questions within your Question Library, import questions from an existing quiz, or import questions from another course’s Question Library.
To create new questions in the Question Library:
Click on the name of the section or subsection to which you would like to create the questions.
Click New, then select the desired question type from the drop-down menu.
Enter the required and optional fields for your selected question type, which may include one or more of the following:
- Question Text.
- Answers. Enter the answer for auto-graded multiple choice questions, or select true or false for auto-graded true or false questions.
- Points. For certain question types the default value is 1 point.
Click Save
Watch the following video for an overview of the question types available in Brightspace.
For step-by-step help creating each available question type, visit the D2L page on creating questions.
To learn about the benefits and challenges of each question type as well pedagogical tips, see Memorial University’s resource on Question Types in Brightspace.
To import questions to the Question Library from an existing quiz:
It’s important to understand that the Question Library stores questions separately from the quizzes in D2L Brightspace. Questions are not automatically copied to the Question Library when they are imported to or created in a quiz. Therefore, it’s a good idea to import any questions to the Question Library if they are not already there so that you have a backup in case a quiz is deleted.
Step 1
Click on the name of the section or subsection to which you would like to import the questions.
Step 2
Click Import > Browse Existing Questions.
Step 3
Change the Source to the quiz you would like to import the questions from.
Step 4
The list of questions will appear on the page. Check the box next to the questions or sections you would like to import, or check the box at the top to select them all.
Step 5
Click Import when you have finished selecting your questions.
Step 6
Repeat steps 1-5 until you have finished copying your quiz questions into the Question Library.
Step 7
Check to make sure that the sections and questions are organized in the Question Library as you would like them and move sections/questions as needed. > Done Editing Questions
To import questions from another course’s Question Library:
Watch the following video to find out how to use Import/Export/Copy Components to import questions from another course.
Now that you’ve have a bank of questions, you’re ready to create a quiz with the appropriate settings and import your sections.
Please contact EdTech if you need help with more advanced Question Library options, or with help creating a quiz, or any other support needs.Contact edtech@langara.ca for more information.
